COMPILED BY WENDY TWETEN

Here at the Kingston Community News, we’re about more than just community; we’re about food. So, in the seasonal spirit of togetherness, the regular contributors of KCN have banded together to share the best – or in one case the worst – of our collective holiday kitchens. The recipes that follow cover the spectrum from honoring family tradition and simplifying a hectic season to vegetarian and international specialties and a little well-earned seasonal indulgence.

From those of us at KCN, our best wishes to all our friends and neighbors for a peaceful and prosperous new year.

French-Canadian Tourtière

From Michèle LaBoda

My mother’s family is French-Canadian. Throughout my childhood, we enjoyed this annual treat on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, it is served following midnight mass. I still make a tourtière during every holiday season, serving it with boiled carrots and potatoes smothered in butter and parsley, and maple syrup baked beans.

1½ lbs. ground pork (unseasoned)

1 large baked potato (peeled and mashed)

1 large onion (minced)

1 clove garlic (minced)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. ground allspice

1 c. water

Enough pastry for a 9-inch, double-crust, deep-dish pie

Place potato, ground pork, onion, garlic, spices and water into dutch oven and simmer until thick – about one hour. Line deep-dish pie plate with pastry. Spoon in cooked filling, cover with pastry. Cut in steam vents. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Almost Fruitcake Cookies

From Donna Lee Anderson

For many years I was the fruitcake queen. I picked my oranges and lemons for the thickness of their skin so I could scrape the zest. I shelled pecans making sure every piece was clean then on the appointed day I grated nutmeg and cinnamon. I used natural sugar thinking it added to the taste. My molasses was ordered from a special catalogue. Now, however, I am no longer a slave to the fruitcake. For several years I’ve used a new strategy and here is my Almost Fruitcake Cookie recipe.

1 gingerbread cake and cookie mix

¼ c. hot water

2 Tbs. butter (melted)

1 carton of candied fruit

1 c. pecan halves and pieces (pick out the halves and

save for later)

1 or 2 Tbs. flour (as needed)

Mix the cake mix, water and butter together in a bowl (add one tablespoon of flour and one more if still too runny). Add candied fruit. Add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Drop by large tablespoon on greased cookie sheet and flatten with a wet fork to about 2-inch rounds. Top with one or two pecan halves.

Bake 375 degrees, 8-10 minutes and voila!

Uncle Pete’s Oysters Rockefeller

From Pete DeBoer

I usually bring 3 or 4 dozen.

For each dozen oysters you will need:

Rock salt

A dozen fresh small to medium oysters (doesn’t

work without ‘em)

½ lbs. fresh spinach finely chopped

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

½ c. fresh breadcrumbs

½ tsp. Pernod or other aniseed spirit

¼ lb. each freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

Sauté the spinach, onion, vinegar, breadcrumbs and Pernod in butter for about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Shuck the oysters, discard the top shell, remove the oyster from the shell, wash the bottom shell and arrange them on an ovenproof plate covered with about ½-inch of rock salt. Arrange the shells on the rock salt keep them all level. Return one oyster to each shell.

Spread a teaspoon full of the spinach mixture on top of each oyster then pinch a teaspoon of cheese on top of each one. Broil in the oven for about 5 minutes until the oyster edge starts to curl and the cheese is melted. Don’t overcook! Garnish with lemon wedges with Tabasco sauce nearby. Serve with Pinot Grigio wine, chilled.

Smoked Salmon Dip

From Wendy and Ted Tweten

First, buy a boat – the bigger the better. Load it up with lots of rods and reels, GPS and fish-finding systems, radio, bait, and a huge cooler (for the fish, of course). Next, buy a fishing license and carefully study what areas are open to fishing when, what size and species of fish can be taken, and what kind of gear can be used. Then go catch a salmon.

Now purchase a smoker, chips, and find a really good recipe for a salt cure. Fillet the salmon, remove bones, dry and cure. Smoke the fish. You are now ready to make the dip. Cost per serving: $5,732.

2 c. smoked salmon – in pieces, bones and skin removed

8 oz. cream cheese (low-fat is fine)

½ c. mayonnaise

4 oz. can mild, diced green chilies

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. powder

2 tsps. fresh lime or lemon juice

Mix all until well blended. Bake in an 8”x8” ovenproof baking dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Double the batch for a large gathering; bake in two separate casseroles. Serve with crackers or bread cubes. Good warm or cold. Also good as a spread for open-face sandwiches.

Spicy Mediterranean Loaf

(a Stillwaters favorite)

From Naomi Maasberg

This is an old Solstice recipe for us. We used it at a Solstice party several years ago at the recommendation of one of our friends, Jacque Shayne. Fortunately, everyone brought appetizers to the potluck so we had lots to munch on while it was baking, and baking, and baking. It never did firm up into a loaf that night. Jacque then looked at the recipe again, and told us how she made it – with some significant changes. The whole group got into it and we revised the original quite a bit. The result is pretty good! The important thing is to DRAIN the beans and pineapple really well. It’s a great thing around the holidays to have a really different main course for some events – a vegetarian change of pace.

½ c. dry garbanzo beans or 2 cans, drained and rinsed

1 c. whole grain bread crumbs

1 large can crushed pineapple, drained

1 c. onion, chopped

½ c. celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

3 Tbs. oil

¼ c. parsley, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbs. miso

1 ½ c. pepper jack cheese or soy cheese, grated

1 tsp. salt

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1/8 tsp. cayenne

½ c. chopped almonds (optional)

¼ c. capers, tossed with ¼ c. fine bread crumbs (optional)

If using dry garbanzo beans, cook till tender and drain well. Chop beans (either kind) or grind them slightly in a processor. Do not puree or chop too fine. Combine beans, breadcrumbs, pineapple, onion, celery, garlic, oil, parsley and egg in large bowl. Stir miso with a little hot water to dissolve, and add to bowl. Stir in cheese and add salt, Tabasco and cayenne to taste. Turn the loaf into an oiled loaf pan or small casserole. Top with chopped almonds, or capers tossed with additional fine breadcrumbs, or other topping of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until edges are browned.

(Please Mum, No More) Oyster Stew

From Marylin Olds

My mother’s family observed the English tradition of serving oyster stew on Christmas Eve. Everyone loved this yummy holiday treat … except me. A second tradition made eating this English black sheep of the family even more awkward: everyone’s stew had to be entirely downed before any Christmas presents could be opened. The family would inevitably have to wait impatiently by the Christmas tree for me to force my stew down the hatch.

At age 7, I joyously graduated to just having to eat the stew broth, leaving the gnarly-looking oysters in the tureen. At age 11, Mom offered me an enormous gesture of Christmas spirit by allowing me to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (recipe available) instead of going through the annual Yule stew skirmish.

Here’s the oyster stew recipe, for those still interested: Grandpa brought in milk fresh from the cows. Grandma would warm the whole milk on the stove, add a stick of butter, salt, black pepper and paprika. The oysters, which had been quickly cooked in their own juice, would be then be added. Finally, Lord knows there were never enough oyster crackers to help.

Simple Hawaiian Rice

From Jacque Thornton

Great for holiday potlucks

2 chopped onions

1 chopped green pepper

1 lb. hamburger

1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes

¼ c. molasses

1 c. dry rice

2 Tbs. mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté chopped onions in a little oil. Add hamburger, crumble with a fork and cook till half done. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat until done, 30 to 45 minutes. A large skillet or sauce pan may be used.

Glazed Pearl Onions

with Raisins and Almonds

From Nancy Tietje

From Bon Appetit (Nov. 1994 issue). This recipe is a “must serve” by request of my family and makes eight servings.

2 lbs. pearl onions

1 c. dry sherry

½ c. golden raisins

¼ c. honey

¼ c. water

2 Tbs. butter (¼ stick)

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ½ tsp. dried thyme

2/3 c. slivered almonds, toasted

4 tsps. sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar

(balsamic works, too)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add onions; cook 3 minutes to loosen skins. Drain and cool slightly. Cut root ends from onions. Squeeze onions from stem end (onions will slip out of skins).

Combine pearl onions, sherry, raisins, honey, water, butter and thyme in a heavy, large skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to very low; cover and simmer until liquid evaporates and onions begin to caramelize, stirring often, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir almonds and sherry wine vinegar into onions. Add a few teaspoonfuls of water if the mixture is too dry. Serve warm.

Wontons

From Denise Roundy

This is a recipe I’ve never made, but it’s been a part of our family’s tradition for about 30 years. My mom’s best friend, Jean Keck, puts these wonderful appetizers together for our New Year’s Eve party every year. I’m supposed to be practicing making them in case she ever wants to stop, so this will be my inspiration.

½ lb. ground beef or pork

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. oil

2 Tbs. water or broth

3 chopped green onions

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1 lb. wanton skins

Egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

Sweet and sour sauce

In mixing bowl, combine raw meat, soy sauce, oil, water or broth, green onions and cornstarch. Place about 2 to 3 teaspoons of meat mixture on each wonton; seal closed with egg and water mixture. Deep fry at 350 degrees for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Date Bread

From Rebecca Pirtle

This is one of my holiday favorites, even as a girl. I have a copy of the recipe written in my grandmother’s beautiful swirled cursive When I make this, or any other old family recipe written in my mother’s or grandmother’s script, I’m awash in not only memories of childhood holidays, but also feel an ancestral transmission, the literal spirit of generations of women in my family. It’s hard to explain, but in the kitchen, as with raising children, so much intuitive sense comes through my hands and I savor those moments when I feel my mom’s presence, and grandmothers and great-grandmothers alive in me.

½ c. sugar

½ c. chopped dates (remove pits)

1 egg

1 ½ cup flour

1 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. nuts

½ tsp. baking soda

1 ¼ tsps. baking powder

¾ c. boiling water

Pour boiling water over dates and butter. Let cool. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.